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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Making Your Way to Professional Astronomy in the Philippines

Astronomy is one of the sciences where almost anyone can get fascinated with. There are many who just gaze at the night sky in complete wonder and amazement. Sad to say, astronomy education in the Philippines is not that known. One of the reasons behind this is the disadvantage in the Philippines of the separation of all the islands in the archipelago, which in turn makes it hard for information to go around. As I began taking my steps to professional astronomy I realized that very few people are aware of an astronomy degree here in the Philippines.

Rizal Technological University is a school in Mandaluyong that offers astronomy education. They have three programs - an undergrad degree in BS Astronomy Technology, a grad school Diploma in Astronomy, and a MS Astronomy. They are the first and only school in the Philippines to offer astronomy (I believe I have a post on this which I will check later). I heard about this via the Astronomical League of the Philippines.

Being in an archipelago, you have to keep track of the latest in Astronomy and how to go about it via the internet. Through the web, you can make contact with the different Philippine Astronomy clubs. You can check them or the PAGASA web site for news on what's in the night sky. For those who pursue astronomy outside Luzon, specifically Manila, you may have a hard time getting in touch with these groups, however keep note that you have better sky conditions. Light pollution and pollution for that matter is a hindrance from the big city so don't be down - you can actually see more than we want.